Remarkable Paper Pro Review: Now Take Notes in Color
With the Paper Pro, Remarkable is launching a new e-ink tablet featuring a true color E Ink display, integrated frontlight, and an improved textured surface that claims to mimic the look and feel of real paper better than ever—at least, that’s the claim.
The device runs on the Linux-based Codex OS and offers a distraction-free interface specifically designed for note-taking and sketching. Thanks to excellent pen pressure and tilt sensitivity, the Remarkable Paper Pro also promises an impressive digital handwriting experience. With its new color display, faster chipset, and larger 11.8-inch screen, the question also arises: Is it suitable for reading comics or PDFs?
So is the Remarkable Paper Pro the ultimate notebook replacement? In this review, I take a closer look at the device to see whether it’s worth the investment.
Build Quality
The Remarkable Paper Pro impresses with high-quality construction and an aluminum chassis, closely resembling the design of an iPad Pro. The stylized notebook pages etched into the frame add a nice detail that sets it apart from Apple’s device.
However, the sharp edges and 525-gram weight mean you’re less likely to hold it in your hands for long periods—instead, you’ll probably lay it flat on a desk. The Paper Pro is equipped with four rubber feet on the back, giving it stability when writing on a table.
Excellent build quality; rubber feet on the back for better stability on the desk
The larger display gives you more room for notes, but also makes the tablet a bit bulkier to carry around.
Optional cases with sleep mode support are available, letting you automatically turn the device on or off by opening or closing the cover.
The stylus attaches magnetically to the side of the tablet and charges automatically when docked. A small icon shows the pen’s battery level. With comparable pens from other manufacturers lasting around 100 hours, you shouldn’t have any battery life issues with the Remarkable stylus either.
Display & Readability
The centerpiece of the Remarkable Paper Pro is, without question, its new 11.8-inch color E Ink display featuring Gallery 3 technology.
Within the screen, just like with black-and-white e-ink, microcapsules are used—this time in four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and white. By mixing these, the device can produce up to 20,000 colors, similar to classic four-color printing.
E Ink Gallery 3 at 229 ppi can display up to 20,000 colors
Like paper or black-and-white e-ink screens, the display reflects ambient light for a paper-like appearance, though with less reflectivity: plain white paper reflects about 80 to 90 percent of light, monochrome e-ink displays about half, while the Gallery 3 display reflects just about a third, making it a bit darker overall.
Nevertheless, the Remarkable Paper Pro offers more vibrant colors than other color e-ink screens using Kaleido 3 technology. However, compared to LCDs, colors are still muted. In daily use, you quickly get used to this less saturated presentation.
Apple iPad Air 11 vs. Remarkable Paper Pro
Comparison with Other E Ink Devices
A direct comparison with other e-ink tablets reveals that, in terms of text clarity, the Remarkable Paper Pro sits somewhere between devices like the Kindle Scribe and Remarkable 2, as well as color Boox models.
Side-by-side: Kindle Scribe, Boox Note Air 3C, Remarkable Paper Pro, Remarkable 2, and Boox Tab Mini C
With the frontlight off, the Remarkable Paper Pro is the clear favorite for color rendering among E Ink tablets (left to right: Boox Note Air 3C, Remarkable Paper Pro, Boox Tab Mini C)
The slight yellowish tint of the display is really noticeable only in direct comparison and isn’t an issue in everyday use. When it comes to color reproduction, the Paper Pro outperforms E Ink Kaleido 3 devices, especially with the frontlight disabled.
With the frontlight enabled, readability is great on all devices
However, the Paper Pro renders pixels differently than its competitors, resulting in text that can appear just slightly less sharp, especially with small or thin fonts. Under a microscope, you can even spot a faint reddish tint at the edges of some letters.
The differences between the display technologies are easily visible under the microscope
Frontlight
The Remarkable Paper Pro comes with a built-in frontlight—no longer a rarity in the e-ink world, but a first for the Remarkable line.
The frontlight doesn’t diminish the paper-like feel, since the gap between the pen and the e-ink layer remains very small. That said, there are a few compromises: the frontlight offers only five brightness levels and reaches a maximum brightness of just 4 cd/m².
In bright environments, the frontlight is barely or not at all noticeable
So you can’t noticeably brighten the screen in well-lit settings. The frontlight is really only helpful in less-than-ideal lighting. In the dark, the max brightness is perfectly adequate for comfortable reading. Still, more brightness levels would have been useful for daytime use.
The color temperature is not adjustable and sits at around 4500 Kelvin, giving a neutral-warm light.
Backlight bleed at the screen edges in darkness
The lighting is also not particularly uniform; there are minor variations in brightness and some ‘light bleed’ at the screen edges. While not especially attractive, especially at the outer edges, it doesn’t significantly detract from using the device.
Ghosting and Screen Refresh
Ghosting is surprisingly minimal on the Remarkable Paper Pro. This is notable given that the first E Ink Gallery 3 device—the Bigme Galy—had a lot more ghosting. Even compared to black-and-white devices, the Paper Pro fares very well.
For displaying PDFs, Remarkable has introduced a mode that nearly eliminates ghosting altogether. In other parts of the system, ghosting can be a bit more noticeable but typically fades on its own without a full refresh.
Final color is only displayed after multiple rendering steps
While the typical e-ink flicker isn’t always needed to reduce ghosting, you can’t fully avoid it when working with color in notebooks: when you draw, colored lines first appear in black (or another e-ink particle mix) and are only later filled in with the chosen color. That’s not the end, though—when the final color appears, there’s another round of flickering.
I personally don’t find this multi-stage rendering bothersome, but I can easily imagine it won’t be to everyone’s taste.
Writing Experience
Remarkable tries to replicate the feeling of writing on paper with its textured display surface. It works reasonably well, but not perfectly. There is some noticeable friction, but it seems less than on other e-ink tablets with similarly ‘papery’ screens.
Fast response time, but somewhat loud writing sound
As a result, writing feels harder and slipperier than with other devices. The pen’s hard tip also makes a fairly pronounced scratching noise, which I personally find a bit too loud. Adding to this is the rather hard contact between the pen and screen, which sounds a bit like using an Apple Pencil on an iPad—definitely further from the feel of real paper than the Remarkable 2 managed.
Of course, whether you like this writing feel is a matter of personal preference.
But there’s a more clear-cut flaw: wobbly lines. When drawing long diagonal lines, faint waviness can occur, which is noticeable and a bit annoying for sketching. At least it’s not really apparent during regular writing.
Wobbly lines on my test device
On the upside, the input lag is extremely low: I measured about 20 milliseconds, which is on par with other e-ink tablets. However, the actual e-ink response time is just 12 milliseconds—noticeably faster—so the writing experience ends up feeling quite natural overall.
User Experience
The Remarkable Paper Pro is powered by the Linux-based Codex OS and features a minimal, distraction-free interface focused mainly on note-taking and sketching. The device is centered around these core functions, and operation is very intuitive.
Software and Features
The user interface is straightforward and streamlined, without omitting key features. Files can be organized in folders and subfolders, with tags and favorites also available.
Notes that have been opened and synced in the last 50 days are stored in the cloud for free. For unlimited cloud storage, you’ll need a “Connect” subscription at 3 euros per month.
Homescreen displaying all content
A standout feature is full storage encryption, preventing unauthorized access to the device’s content. A fingerprint sensor would have been a nice touch for added convenience, though—without one, you have to manually enter your 4 to 8 digit code every time you unlock, which can get tedious if you just want to jot down quick notes.
Note-Taking Features
A variety of virtual pens are available in notebooks, including ballpoint, fineliner, highlighter, pencil, mechanical pencil, calligraphy pen, marker, shader, and brush.
The pens are excellently implemented, and the 4,096 pressure levels plus tilt sensitivity are effectively used with certain pen types. The pencil tool, in particular, is great for sketching, offering superb control.
Many different, very well-tuned pen types
The option to use color broadens the device’s applications compared to black-and-white models and genuinely adds value for everyday use: studies show that color note-taking can boost memory, comprehension, and cognitive engagement.
In addition to handwriting, typed text can be inserted—though this still needs improvement, as it cannot be freely positioned and doesn’t align with page templates. In other words, text can end up awkwardly placed, such as right in the middle of a line.
Notes can be created on multiple layers
Notes can also be organized in layers, making it easier to manage your work. Pages are scrollable and zoomable, which is especially helpful for large or complex notes.
Handwriting recognition works well, but it has to be activated manually. Searching handwritten notes is not yet possible—an ability Boox and Supernote tablets already offer.
PDF and E-Book Features
Thanks to its large display and decent color rendering, the Remarkable Paper Pro is also great for viewing PDFs and comics (in PDF format; CBR/CBZ files aren’t supported). That said, the image quality is a bit grainy, especially if you look up close.
Up close: grainy color rendering
A contrast mode improves readability for text-heavy PDFs. Zooming and panning within PDFs works smoothly, and handwritten notes can be added directly onto the pages.
Notes can be made directly on PDF files
You can also read e-books in EPUB format, but the Remarkable Paper Pro only offers basic functions here: there’s no built-in e-book store, and many typical e-reader features are missing. So it’s not meant to be your primary e-reader.
Battery Life
Its 5,030 mAh battery promises up to two weeks’ usage, depending on how you use it.
Solid battery life
If you’re writing continuously, you can expect about 6 to 7 hours of use—enough for a work or school day.
Reading pure text PDFs with the frontlight off yields up to 14 hours of reading time. Using the frontlight only slightly reduces battery life.
Conclusion
The Remarkable Paper Pro is a particularly interesting e-ink tablet, impressing with its large, true color display, improved responsiveness, and high-quality build. The addition of color broadens its potential for creative tasks and more organized note-taking. Color PDFs are also a clear plus.
There are a few downsides, though. The writing feel is, to my taste, a bit too hard compared to its predecessor, and the frontlight could be both brighter and more adjustable. The screen flicker when rendering color might also annoy some users.
Also an interesting option as a comic reader (PDF format)
On the whole, the Remarkable Paper Pro pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with e-ink technology. It’s a definite step forward in some areas, while also coming with a few compromises.
The E Ink Gallery 3 tech primarily delivers the best color rendering on e-ink to date, making the Remarkable Paper Pro an especially attractive, unique option right now, though at a hefty price of at least 650 euros. It probably won’t be long until other makers adopt this new display technology, too.
